The news that Tally Adams, a 1996 Auburndale graduate, was named head coach at Fort Lauderdale Stranahan stirred up memories of one of the most thrilling regular-season games you’ll find — as it should have, considering a long winning streak game to an end.

When long winning streaks come to an end, it should be in a game that is memorable or when something odd or controversial has occurred. That’s been the case when three long winning streaks were ended in the past 20 years in Polk County football.

Haines City ended Lakeland’s 60-game regular-season winning streak in 2001 with the very odd score of 2-0.

Kissimmee Osceola was able to rally to end Lakeland’s 54-game overall winning streak in 2007 when officials ruled running back T.K. Lamb fumbled just before crossing the goal line — still think he scored — for what would have been a knockout blow. Instead, the Kowboys stayed within striking distance and rallied for the win.

And then there’s Auburndale’s 43-42 stunning victory in overtime over Lake Wales in 1995 that stopped the Highlanders’ 34-game regular-season winning streak. At the time, it was the second-longest regular-season winning streak in Florida history. Only Branford’s 38-game winning streak was longer. Lake Wales was 10-0 in the regular season in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and began 1995 4-0, which included a victory over Lakeland.

In a game when Lake Wales’ Jeff Chaney rushed for 247 yards and Auburndale’s Frank Mathis rushed for 231 yards, there still was room for Adams. a wide receiver, to make his contribution.

With the Bloodhounds trailing 29-19 in the fourth quarter, Adams hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Robert Brown to cut the Highlanders’ lead to 29-26. The Bloodhounds recovered the onside kick, and Adams had another key reception on the ensuing drive that set up Bryan Morton’s game-tying field goal.

The game went into overtime but not before two big runs by Chaney put Lake Wales in field-goal range, but Chris Kirkner’s kick, which had the distance, was wide left.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the first two overtimes. After Chaney scored Lake Wales’ second overtime touchdown, Lake Wales coach Rod Shafer opted to go for the two-point conversion. However, on the conversion, the Lake Wales tight end missed a block, allowing safety Derek Guy to come up and stop Chaney at the goal line and stop Lake Wales’ winning streak.

About This Blog

Roy Fuoco and Bill Kemp cover high school sports for The Ledger.

Roy is a native of Boston, the best sports city in the nation, and is a graduate of the University of Central Florida. He has covered Polk County high school sports since 1992, chronicling the achievements of 29 teams that won state titles, including three teams that finished No. 1 in national rankings. He also has covered the Cleveland Indians in spring training for six years, the 2004 Stanley Cup finals, 2009 Super Bowl, UCF college football games, numerous sporting events involving the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and numerous college football bowl games.

Bill was raised in the sports-crazed Motor City metropolitian area and is a graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa. He has covered more than 3,000 sporting events including: the Jacksonville Jaguars, Super Bowl XXXVI and the NFL playoffs, SEC football and major college bowl games involving Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Michigan and Penn State, NASCAR racing at the Daytona 500 and Talladega Superspeedway plus 14 years of preps.